Brock Hoffman had a stronger case, so I can't say I'm surprised.
My buddy told me he read a story about a kid that wanted to transfer from Coastal Carolina to Va Tech to be close to home because his mom has a brain tumor. They apparently denied immediate eligibility because Va Tech is not within their 100 mile standard....it's 105 miles to his home! Wow, just wow!
This was discussed on the previous page:
A few points I read elsewhere. Two reasons were cited for denying the exception: the distance was 5 miles over the allowed radius (Ford is 90 miles over) and his mother's health is improving and not debilitating and requiring ongoing medical care (I have no idea about Ford's grandparents, and whether they would count as immediate family). And another key point: he did not hire an attorney. Interestingly, there is thought that he could have tried for a waiver due to a coaching change, as Tate Martell did, and gotten that instead of a family medical hardship waiver.
And just to clarify, his mother's brain tumor, which was not cancerous, was removed a year ago. They asked him what care he was going to provide and how often. This is more in lines with the purpose of the waiver, not so that family can more easily attend games.
People are confusing the family medical hardship waiver with other types of waivers. Tate Martell was granted a waiver in large part because of a coaching change. The attorney threw a lot of other things out there. It's easier to get that waiver than the family medical hardship waiver, unless there is a true family medical hardship.